UK investigators to assist Nepal authorities into crash probe

Air accident investigators from the UK are heading to Nepal to investigate the plane crash which killed seven Britons yesterday.

45-year-old Darren Kelly from the village of Isle of Whithorn in southern Galloway died alongside his brother Vincent Kelly in the crash.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said today it was sending two staff to Kathmandu to assist local authorities probing the disaster, which killed all 19 people on the aircraft shortly after take-off from the capital city's airport.

The British group, who arrived in Nepal on Wednesday, were due to begin trekking in the Himalayas yesterday.

Five Chinese people, three Nepalese passengers and four crew members were also killed, with reports suggesting the accident was caused by a bird strike.